FINAL TALLY: OREGON LAW ENFORCEMENT COALITION WINS TOTAL OF $31 MILLION IN FEDERAL STIMULUS GRANTS

October 7, 2009

A new coalition of Oregon Attorney General John Kroger, district attorneys, sheriffs, police chiefs and victims' advocates has won a total of $31 million in federal public safety grants from the federal government.

"Thanks to the work of the coalition, law enforcement in Oregon is in a better position to protect the public," said Attorney General Kroger. "This money will help law enforcement keep our communities safe during this tough recession."

Kroger took a lead role in an effort to obtain millions of dollars in federal stimulus grants for Oregon police, sheriffs and prosecutors to combat crime in the midst of budget cuts forced by a bad economy. He traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this year to lobby federal officials for grant money. Oregon's Congressional delegation worked with the coalition to help secure the grants.

Highlights of the grants include $1,531,744 for a Drug Crime Strike Force at the Department of Justice; $5,150,105 to hire 21 police officers and sheriff's deputies around the state; $1,689,600 for the National Crime Victim Law Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School; and $574,000 for the Clackamas Children's Center.

"The federal stimulus grant is a real boost to the Children's Center, which enhances community safety while reducing trauma and easing recovery for children," said Tonia Hunt, Executive Director. "The coordinated effort by the Oregon law enforcement coalition was crucial in the center's successful grant application."

The grants will provide funding to help Attorney General Kroger meet his top public safety priorities: fighting Mexican drug cartels, Internet sex predators and mortgage fraud.

Other successful grant applicants include the Astoria Police Department, the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, the Gresham Police Department, the City of Klamath Falls, Lane County, Oregon City, the Redmond Police Department, the Springfield Police Department, the Sutherlin Police Department, the City of Toledo, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office and the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.

These grants are particularly important in rural communities hurt by the decline in federal timber revenues and the deepening recession. Some counties simply cannot afford any more cuts to their basic public safety budgets.

Assistant Attorney General Harry Wilson coordinated the grant effort for the Department of Justice. Key coalition partners included Kevin Campbell, Director of the Oregon Police Chiefs Association and the Oregon District Attorneys Association.

Attorney General John Kroger leads the Oregon Department of Justice. The Department's mission is to fight crime and fraud, protect the environment, improve child welfare, and defend the rights of all Oregonians.